Snapshot

Harrison Birtwistle is one of the leading European figures in contemporary music * Works combine modernist aesthetic with mythic power and emotional impact * Inspiration from contemporary art and the rituals of classical mythology and pre-history * Orchestral works of recent decades include Panic composed for the Last Night of the BBC Proms, The Shadow of Night commissioned by the Cleveland Orchestra and Concerto for Violin and Orchestra written for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Christian Tetzlaff * Stageworks include The Last Supper for Glyndebourne, The Minotaur for The Royal Opera, The Io Passion and The Corridor* Noted Birtwistle conductors include Boulez, Howarth, Eötvös, Knussen, Rattle, Dohnányi, Barenboim and Pappano * Winner of 1986 Grawemeyer Award and 1995 Siemens Prize * CD recordings on Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Teldec, Etcetera, NMC, Black Box and CPO * The Minotaur is available on DVD from Opus Arte

Looking Ahead: feature at Viitasaari Time of Music festival in Finland including Theseus Game (2-4 Jul); new work for the Arditti Quartet, The Silk House Sequences, for premiere at Wigmore Hall in London (6 Nov)

"A great original ... one of the most gifted composers of his generation." — The Times